This handsome Squier Jaguar bass features a strong body and neck with sharp-looking inlays on its rosewood fretboard. The classic body design has the look and style of the basses of yesteryear, with tastefully updated features and electronics.

Versatility comes into play with the Squier Jaguar bass's superbly balanced dynamic duo of Duncan Designed pickups—a split single-coil Precision Bass pickup (mid) paired with a hot Jazz Bass single-coil pickup (bridge). The pickups emanate bold, clear tone that's made Squier's reputation. Dressed in a sleek black finish, this electric bass has the look and sound that will impress anyone near it. Strap it around your neck and prepare for an onslaught of funk bass bliss.

I always heard that Squier was Fender's discount brand, and since most Fenders I owned or played in the 70s, 80s, 90s were inconsistent and sometimes downright awful, I figured Squier would be worse. WRONG!

I read Jon Herrera's review of this bass in the Dec issue of BASS PLAYER and thought, huh? I gotta check this out. So, I bought one. And no, you can't have it. This bass is rock solid, tight sounding and well built. I really like the way it is designed, with the two passive tone controls and detented knobs in the concentric stack. The Duncan-designed pickups really sound good and smooth and I can't find a dead spot on the neck yet. I'm not a fan of Fender strings but that's an easy fix.

In 1999 I bought a Fender American Standard Jazz Bass V and this bass is built WAY better than that one! The 1999 had neck pocket gaps, funky inconsistencies on the fretboard, terrible pickguard/control plate alignment and general sloppy construction. The Asian-made Squier has none of those issues. None!

For the price, you can't go wrong. If you're going to whine about cheap hardware such as control knobs, well that's just part of the package. You get what you pay for. Good hardware equals more money. Want better electronics and pickups? Throw in more money.

This bass is perfect in the sense that it offers an alternative to those of us who loved the Fender Jaguar bass but wanted the P-pickup at the sweet spot for that throaty/fat tone of a P-bass and for blending the two pups. This bass is perfect for using as a guinea pig as you can make it a great DIY project and upgrade all hardware and electronics if you don't like the tone, but personally I think the tone is pretty decent for a cheap bass. I was surprised myself to see a Squier sound good. I don't like the hardware, but hey most non-American made Fenders have cheap hardware. I own the Fender version, which features the J/J pup config. and has a passive/active switch so it can be both. Swapped all that out for some fine Hipshot tuners and a detuner for the E string,

Have yet to change the bridge. Have a Khaler tremolo in mind, but before I start routing, I'd like to test it on this Squier version which most likely will be a success, and besides I like the P/J config much more than a J/J.

Another feature that's on the Fender model that's not on the Squier is the clear coated neck, which really doesn't make the instrument better or anything, just gives the neck a glossier look. As far as finishes go. Squier Jag uses the same polyester that Fender uses on their Mexi models, Fender Jag uses the polyurethane.

Dimension-wise both Jaguars are identical. Frets on the Squier are very well cut, unlike some Mexican Fenders. So if you buy this bass for the configuration, the cheap hardware shouldn't bother you as it's a no brainer and fairly cheap to replace for what you get.

Electronics I wouldn't really judge, as it's not the best tone I've heard, but it's not bad at all, many may love it, others may loathe it, to each his/her own. As far as neck dive, I wore this bass on a strap at my local store and it felt fine. Yes, it does have a slight dive, but not so extreme that it falls no matter what, it's not like a Rickenbacker or a Les Paul bass where the neck really dives, so don't let that worry you, if you judge basses by how they are on a strap.

It's definitely worth every penny, and I'll definitely buy another 1 or 2 for different tuning setups. The Tuners have the same screw patterns as the Mexican Fenders, so make sure you get the right ones if plan on changing them. Knobs are an easy swap, there are plenty of prestine quality knobs to choose from, just ebay them or google them, they're a bit pricy I guess (around 10-30$ a piece) but are definitely worth it. Besides what Jaguar fanatic wouldn't like this bass?

Tried one of these the other day. After having owned the Squier Vintage Modified Jazz, I was interested to see how this latest VM release from Squier fared. Two things I noticed right off the bat. One, this is a very unbalanced bass, that upper horn really makes the neck dive while seated (did not play standing/on strap). Two, low quality knobs; they were already showing wear/tear on what had to be a very new bass. They are stacked knobs, and the lower part of the stack was binding/not turning correctly. Could tell the knobs were not very heavy duty. Couldn't get beyond points #1 and #2, and put it immediately back on the wall. Still love the VM Jazz, not so much the VM Jag.

Publisher does not accept liability for incorrect spelling, printing errors (including prices), incorrect manufacturer's specifications or changes, or grammatical inaccuracies in any product included in the Music123 catalog or website. Prices subject to change without notice.